Pitchers and catchers officially will begin reporting to spring training Monday, meaning meaningful baseball is less than two months away (we don’t count the World Baseball Classic yet). But with that ticking clock comes unanswered questions for every club.

Adrian Beltre hit 36 homers and drove in 102 runs last season, but the Rangers might need even more production from Beltre, who turns 34 in April. (AP Photo)

Whether it’s a positional issue, an injury concern or pitching problem, no roster is perfect on Day 1 of camp.

The biggest uncertainties surrounding each American League team (we’ll analyze the National League on Friday):

Baltimore Orioles: Will they get quality starting pitching?

The Orioles suffered through stints when their rotation (ninth in the AL with a 4.42 ERA) was atrocious last season. None of the teams that finished below them even sniffed the playoffs.

As many as 15 pitchers could be vying for five rotation spots this spring. Another problem: no candidate is a true No. 1 starter.

Given their inconsistent starting pitching last season, the Orioles should have been about a .500 team based on Bill James’ Pythagorean winning percentage equation. A return to the postseason will require better production.

Boston Red Sox: Has the rotation improved enough?

The Red Sox dumped a bunch of salary on the Los Angeles Dodgers last summer, but they didn’t reinvest it wisely. They overpaid for declining position players and didn’t put much of an emphasis on the rotation, which ranked 27th in the majors last season with a 5.19 ERA.

They added only Ryan Dempster, who posted a 5.09 ERA in 12 starts following his trade from the Chicago Cubs to the Texas Rangers in 2012. He joins Jon Lester (4.82 ERA), Clay Buchholz (4.56), Felix Doubront (4.86) and John Lackey (injured in 2012; 6.41 ERA in 2011) in the projected starting five. Lester and Doubront have real shots to improve based on some of their advanced metrics, but Buchholz projects to be a middle-of-the-rotation starter at best.

Anything close to a repeat performance, and Boston will miss the playoffs for a fourth consecutive season.

Factor in that catcher Tyler Flowers is unlikely to duplicate A.J. Pierzynski’s 118 OPS-plus, and the White Sox don’t look like a team with a strong enough core to overtake the Detroit Tigers in the AL Central.

Manager Robin Ventura must keep his veterans fresh and get the most out his rotation. Otherwise, a .500 finish seems likely.

Cleveland Indians: Should they expect more rotation woes?

Despite playing in an offensively challenged division, the Indians allowed the most runs in the AL last season. The rotation shed some of its worst pieces, but newcomers Trevor Bauer (possibly) and Brett Myers aren’t big upgrades.

Justin Masterson and Ubaldo Jimenez will be counted on to lead the starting staff, but Masterson’s 4.93 ERA in 2012 is closer to his career mark (4.17) than to his breakout 2011 season (3.21). As for Jimenez, well, there still is hope he can be a solid No. 2.

Detroit Tigers: Are the late innings in safe hands?

The Tigers have as few concerns as any team in the majors, with the closer spot the biggest uncertainty. Gone is Jose Valverde, who melted down in the playoffs last fall.

The job likely will go to rookie Bruce Rondon, but he has battled command problems in the minors (5.1 walks per nine innings for his career, 4.6 last season) and has just pitched only 29 2/3 innings above Class A. If he can’t handle the ninth-inning pressure, Phil Coke could take over. But because Coke hasn’t been consistent during his career, Rondon might get a chance to work out his control issues.

Houston Astros: What’s not to worry about?

The Astros are candidates to lose 100-plus games for the third consecutive season, and their position players and pitchers don’t provide much hope. This team is going to be bad in just about every aspect.

Houston’s farm system is replenished and impressive, but it won’t help this season when the team moves to the loaded AL West.

Kansas City Royals: Will they take the next step?

Pitching, long a problem for the Royals, will be vital to their potential success. However, there is another real concern.

Considering how much hope the Royals have invested in first baseman Eric Hosmer and third baseman Mike Moustakas, those youngsters must prove their disappointing 2012 performances were nothing more than bumps in their development.

After an impressive rookie season, Hosmer hit .232/.304/.359 last season, creating doubts about his ability to make the adjustments required to sustain major league success. Moustakas showed good power (20 homers) and improved his slugging percentage (.412), but his average dropped from .263 to .242, his on-base percentage fell from .309 to .296 and he struck out 124 times.

Los Angeles Angels: Is there a reliable starter after Jered Weaver?

Weaver is the undisputed ace and a legitimate Cy Young Award candidate but if the Angels are going to be as good as advertised, the rest of the rotation must prove capable.

C.J. Wilson didn’t finish with strong numbers in his first season with the club, but that can be attributed at least partially to bone spurs in his pitching elbow. Before the injury, Wilson was a strong No. 2.

Gone are Dan Haren and Ervin Santana, who combined for a 4.75 ERA last season. Also gone is midseason acquisition Zack Greinke. In their place are newcomers Jason Vargas, Tommy Hanson and Joe Blanton, who combined for a 4.32 ERA in 2012. The incoming trio will have to improve and outperform the outgoing trio for Los Angeles to contend for a pennant.

Minnesota Twins: Have they improved the league’s worst rotation?

The Twins had one of the worst rotations in recent memory, finishing with a 5.40 ERA. Although they aimed to bolster the unit, they could do only do so much in one offseason with limited resources.

Minnesota traded center fielders Denard Span and Ben Revere for Vance Worley and pitching prospects Alex Meyer and Trevor May in separate deals with the Washington Nationals and Philadelphia Phillies. Worley had a sophomore slump (4.20 ERA) last season—perhaps because of bone spurs that he has had surgically removed—but he has upside and at 25.

The rest of the rotation will be filler and likely will sink the Twins by the All-Star break.

New York Yankees: Can they stave off age and decline?

The Yankees are old and regressing. Alex Rodriguez might not play this season, and the team would like nothing more than to part ways with him and his bloated contract. Derek Jeter is rehabbing from ankle surgery, and there is no telling how his 38-year-old body will recover. Mark Teixeira and Ichiro Suzuki are regressing, and Mariano Rivera is 43 and coming back from major knee surgery.

New York opted against spending big this offseason in an effort to trim its payroll, so there isn’t any incoming young talent.

The Yankees need pitchers like CC Sabathia and hitters like Robinson Cano and Curtis Granderson to have monster seasons. If they don’t, there might not be enough production to offset the regression in other areas.

Oakland A’s: Can they mask their light-hitting infield?

Brandon Moss will man first base, Jemile Weeks and Adam Rosales will battle for the second-base job, unproven Japanese import Hiroyuki Nakajima will start at shortstop and third base could go to Josh Donaldson, Scott Sizemore or the newly acquired Jed Lowrie.

Oakland got unexpected production from some of these infielders last season, but expecting them to assume even bigger roles might be unrealistic. Second base and shortstop could be huge offensive holes, and Moss might be exposed after the team traded platoon mate Chris Carter.

Seattle Mariners: Will they get on base and/or score?

They moved in the fences and added a little power with Mike Morse and Kendrys Morales, but they also traded their lone hitter with a decent on-base percentage (catcher John Jaso at .394).

Beyond Morse and Morales, the Mariners are relying on aging hitters like Raul Ibanez and Jason Bay as well as young (and so far unimpressive) 20-somethings like Justin Smoak and Dustin Ackley.

With Jason gone, Jesus Montero, a below-average defensive catcher, will start behind the plate. And a full season there could stifle his offensive growth.

Tampa Bay Rays: How will they plug their first-base hole?

They didn’t get anything good during their second go-round with Carlos Pena last season, and they have replaced him with James Loney. Loney has hit .269/.322/.386 with 28 homers over the past three seasons, and that is unacceptable for a first baseman.

It is possible the Rays will struggle to score unless guys like Desmond Jennings and Kelly Johnson can bounce back from disappointing 2012 campaigns.

Texas Rangers: Will they suffer from a power outage?

The free-agent losses of Josh Hamilton and Mike Napoli mean the Rangers must replace 122 homers from the past two seasons. And if Nelson Cruz is suspended for his ties to the Biogenesis clinic, we will discover just how broad Adrian Beltre’s shoulders are.

There are no difference-making free agents remaining, and Justin Upton already has been traded. That leaves Texas with few options to beef up the lineup.

Toronto Blue Jays: Can they live up to the hype?

This is about as complete a team (on paper) as the league has to offer, but fulfilling those expectations obviously isn’t guaranteed.

The Blue Jays did more than any other team this offseason and are the AL East favorites, but health is always a concern, especially with the newly acquired Jose Reyes and Josh Johnson. If everyone stays relatively healthy, Toronto just might live up to the billing.

The other concern is Jose Bautista’s surgically repaired wrist, an injury that can be devastating for a power hitter. For all the team’s upgrades, this lineup still goes as Bautista does. If he isn’t completely healthy and hitting as he has in recent seasons, the Jays’ hopes could crumble.